Berks Catholic ready for tough Triple-A run

As the District 3 Tournament opens in full tonight there is one intriguing question: Can Berks Catholic dominate the Class AAA boys basketball field the way Central Catholic did in the smaller classes over the past quarter century?

The Saints, beginning their first playoff run after the merger of perennial playoff stalwarts Central Catholic and Holy Name, are considered the team to beat despite being the No. 4 seed in what appears to be a deep field.

They are ranked No. 8 in the state in Class AAA and coming off an impressive run to a Berks Conference title. None of the other contenders in this class enters with an overall league championship, with as many wins or with the reputation the Saints have carved out.

No one expects the Saints to turn the 3-AAA tournament into their personal playground, the way Central did in the smaller classes, where it won 11 titles and reached 18 title games over the past three decades.

Their coach, Snip Esterly, who was part of all those Central championships, including a pair in Single-A the past two seasons, certainly doesn't.

"Usually in Single-A or Double-A, you'll get a first-round bye, or the first round is not a competitive game," said Esterly, whose Central teams won 20 of its last 22 district games and appeared in six straight championship games.

"In Triple-A you're going to have a competitive game every night," Esterly said. "I think there are eight to 10 teams that can win it. It's who's going to play the best and who gets hot (that wins it). That's what tournament games are all about."

The Saints (23-2) open tonight at home against Schuylkill Valley (19-7), a team that took out Reading High less than a week ago before falling to BC 48-28 in the Berks title game.

Esterly certainly isn't looking past the opening round, but twist his arm just enough and he'll concede that the Saints "may be as a slight favorite," in the tournament.

"Maybe," he said. "On a given night, these teams have proven that they're worthy of winning district titles."

The No. 1 seed is Lampeter-Strasburg (20-3), which won the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section III title before running into eventual league champ McCaskey in the quarterfinals. The Pioneers' only other losses came in a tip-off tournament to Octorara, a District 1-AAA power, and to division rival Donegal.

The Pioneers don't have much size but have a balanced scoring attack and win with defense. They allowed just 34.0 points per game in league play and 39.0 overall - second-best in the district to Berks Catholic, which is allowing 37.6.

No. 2 seed Trinity (20-3) won the Mid-Penn Conference Capital Division before running into Quad-A power Central Dauphin in the league semifinals. The Shamrocks have a balanced scoring attack, shoot a lot of 3s and have a 6-6 center.

The Shamrocks won three straight District 3-AA titles and nine in a 14-year span before moving up to Triple-A last season, when they entered as the No. 2 seed but were bumped in the quarterfinals by Lampeter-Strasburg.

Donegal (20-3), the No. 3 seed, finished a game back of Lampeter-Strasburg in L-L III, splitting a pair of games with the Pioneers. It has lost two straight, falling to Lampeter and to Manheim Township in the league quarterfinals.

The Indians are led by the twin guard tandem of Jason and Martin Dietrich, who combine for 27 points per game, but are young overall and not accustomed to playing this time of year.

They were eliminated in the preliminary round a year ago and haven't won a district game in the past decade.

No. 5 Greencastle-Antrim (21-3) could be a dangerous quarterfinal foe for tonight's BC-SV winner. The Blue Devils went unbeaten in the Mid-Penn Colonial Division and beat a 22-0 Hershey team in the league semifinals.

No. 6 seed York Suburban (19-3) won the Division III title in the York-Adams League. No. 7 seed Northeastern (14-8) knocked off Greencastle. No. 8 Lancaster Catholic (19-6) won the L-L Section IV title and is the defending champ in this class.